Detergents and method of making them



Patented Mar. 1, 1949 UNITED STATS ENT- OFFICE j DETERGENTS AND ME'EHQDF MAKINGv THEM ware No Drawing. Uriginal application July 9, 1937,Serial No. 152,852. Divided and-this application March 13, 1943, SerialNo. 479,106

(Ci. zet -41s) 8 Claims.

This invention relates to a new process for producing materials adaptedto function as wetting agents, detergents or the like, and to thematerials themselves. More particularly, the invention relates to theutilization of short-chain fatty acids, which are not ordinarilysatisfactory for the preparation of detergents, wetting agents and thelike, in the production of materials which will function efficiently forthese purposes, and to the production of a soap product substantiallyfree of the soaps of such short-chain fatty acids.

A common type of soap is made from a blended mixture of animal fats,such as tallow, and fatty oils of vegetable origin. The fatty oils thatare commonly used in the production of detergent materials almostinvariably contain appreciable percentages of fatty acid esters(glycerides), the fatty acids of which contain less than twelve carbonatoms. We have recognized that the sodium salts of these fatty acids areof little or no value and,.if they are left in the mixture along withthe salts of the higher fatty acids, the result is simply acorresponding amount of inactive or inefficient material in the finalsoap product. In accordance with the present invention, the lower fattyacids are removed from the fatty oils containing these low molecularweight components to make the final soap product more effective. Theparticular fractionating method employed to effect the separation of thefatty acids into a low molecular weight fraction and a higher molecularweight fraction is not a part of the present invention, and anysatisfactory method may be employed.

The removal of such fatty acids reduces the quantity of the finaldetergent product that can be produced from a given amount of fatty oil,and yields, as a by-product, considerable quantities of these lowerfatty acids. For example, about 21 of the fatty acids in coconut oilcontains less than twelve carbon atoms, and about 13% of the fatty acidsin palm kernel oil also contains less than twelve carbon atoms.

According to the present invention, both the light and the heavyfractions of the fattyacids derived from the fatty oils, 1. e., thelight fraction containing less than twelve carbon atoms and the heavyfraction containing at least twelve carbon atoms, are utilized for thepreparation of detergents and the like, although the material havingfatty acid radicals containing less than twelve carbon atoms is treateddifferently from the material containing fatty acid radicals having morethan twelve carbon atoms.

The lower fatty acids of a molecular Weight less than that of lauricacid, i. e., those containing less than twelve carbon atoms, are causedto react to form useful efiicient detergents in the manner fullydescribed in our prior coepending application Serial No. 152,852, filedJuly 9,1937, now PatentNo. 2,321,020, granted June 8, 1943, of whichthepresent application is a division.

The higher fatty'acidsin the heavier fraction, which include thosefattyacids ofthe molecular weight of lauric acid or greater, i. e.,fatty acids containing at least twelve carbon atoms, are used for makingsoap. The particular. soap making method forms no part of the presentinvention, and any suitable process may be employed, e. g., the fattymaterial forming the residue of the oils upon removal therefrom of thefatty acids having less than twelve carbon atoms may be reacted with analkali to produce the soaps, e. g., sodium soaps, of the higher fattyacids. It will be apparent to those skilled. in the art that the newsoap product containsthesoaps offatty acids having at least twelvecarbon atoms and-is substantially free of the soapsof fatty acidshav ingless than twelve carbon atoms. At least a portion of the soap productconsistsofssoapsnof the fatty material forming-the: residue oft-thefatty oils upon removal therefrom of fatty acids having less than twelvecarbon atoms, including the fatty acids derivedfrom the glycerides insuch oil having fatty acid radicals of less than twelve carbon atoms.These fatty oils include those which are commonly used in the productionof detergent materials, such as coconut oil, palm kernel oil, etc.

The present invention is not to be restricted to any specificproportions or manner of procedure beyond the limitation of the appendedclaims.

We claim:

1; A non-irritative soap product containing the soaps of fatty acidshaving at least 12 carbon atoms and substantially free of the soaps offatty acids having less than 12 carbon atoms, at least a portion of saidsoap product consisting of soaps of the fatty material forming theresidue of fatty oil containing an appreciable percentage of glycerideshaving fatty acid radicals of less than 12 carbon atoms upon removaltherefrom of fatty acids having less than 12 carbon atoms, including thefatty acids derived from the glycerides in said oil having fatty acidradicals of less than 12 carbon atoms, said soaps having at least asgood.

lathering properties as those which characterize the soaps of the fattyacids of the said fatty oils and being free from the skin irritatingproperties 10118- V V i V 1 1 2; A' iion-irritative soap productcontaining the l e soaps of fatty acidshaving at least'12 carbon '7acids" having. less @atoms' and substantially ireeof the soaps of fattythan 12 carbon atoms; at least V a an; alkali to produce the soaps ofthe fatty' acidsp V "a portio'nsozi said; soap "product 'consisting V ofsoap f of; the fatty "material forming f-the residue of 1 cocoanut oilupon removal: therefromof lfjatty' i acid'sfincluding the fattyacidsderived fro'mthe/ g lycerides in said oil haying fatty acidradicals'of -less than=12 carbon 'atoms',',said.soaphaying at" I}leastas'good latheri g properties asethose which v Z characterizethe'soapsof the 'fattyacids'oi cocoa-: H riutoil and 'being' free oi theskin irritating prop-f said so'aps-of said f tty V 1 ertieswhichcharacterize soaps of cocoariut oil. a

V a e 7 33; A non-irritative soap product containing'the v soaps'offatty acids having at least 12 carbon 1 ,Qatoms arid substantiallyjreepf the soaps of fattyv j acids having less than 12 carbon atoms; atleast i iaJportiOnof said soap product consisting of soaps 1 ofthe'fatty material forming the residue of palm "kernel oilpupon removaltherefrom of fatty acids,

lectllar' Weight j ,462, 31 a 7 a of fractionatin g' cocoanut oil acidsto re rrlove ai fractioncontaining 'fatty V acids Of a molecular'weightless'than the molecular weight of "lauric acid'while retaining afraction comprising the fatty a-cids p'f a molecular weight oflauri'ceacid or greater; and reacting the latter fractionwith thereof.

a freedom from skin irritating "properties; the steps ofgfractionatingpalm kernel oil' acids -to remove afraction having a molecular weightof' le'ss than the molecular Weight of lauric acid while retain; V i

1 mg a traction-comprising the fatty acids of a mo-.

of lauric acid or greater, and reacting the latter fraction with-analkali toaproduce'the soaps of-the fatty acidsjthereof.

' lfatty material terming the residue of oils 00nraining an appreciablepercentage of lower fatty 7 acid r.esters,-thefatty-acids of whichcontain less" including'the fatty acids derived from the 'glycij 1erides in'saidoil having fatty acid radicals of less ithan lzcarbonatomsysaid soap havingat least Y as good latheri'n gl properties asthose which characterize theisoapsof the fatty acids of palm kerg 1neleoil'andbeingfree of the skin-irritatingjprop e -e1ftieswhichcharacterize the soaps of palm kernel 7 {process for making mild.soap free i V froin 'iskin irritating properties from fatty oils rcontaining low molecular weight components having skinl'irritating'properties and higher molecular weight components'free from skin irri-r1 tating 'properties, the-steps of fractionating the ffattyfa'cids.rofsaidiatty oilsto remove a frac-j V tionjcolntaining' fatty acids havingless than 12 V j carbon atoms Whileretaining a fraction containihgjihefatty acidslhaving at least 12 carbon atoms and] making soap from thelatter: fatty J '1 54mm process for'making a mild'soap comprising thesoaps of cocoanut'oil fatty acids;:said" 'soap havingj good sudsingcharacteristics and T 1freedogm' from'skin' irritating properties; thesteps The following references are offreco 1 file of this p'atentz r 7.Adetergent product compris ng soaps o i'the than izcarbonatoms; uponremovalof said lower latty acids.

prises V ing'sodi'u'm salts of the higherfatty' acids cont-1 V"taining'at least l2carb'on ,atoims. a, v V V l' JOII lIN135053; m 7

aEFEaENc sicrrEn -ToTEEaR FEREncEs V I flsoapy April 193?, agers.

7 V llhe-method of inakin'ga detergent from'fa'tty', oils containing-"anappreciable percentage' of lower iatty acid esters, the fattyacids-ofwhich 7 i contain less'than 12 carbonatomsgwhich comremoving'theselowerfatty acidsjand mak- T 7 EMIL E; DREGER; ff

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